1. Ohio State (5-0, 2-0) – If there was any doubt which team was the best in the Big Ten, the Buckeyes squashed that by rallying from two touchdowns behind in the fourth quarter on the road to knock off Penn State, highlighted by Dwayne Haskins throwing two touchdown passes in the final seven minutes. It’s hard to see where the Buckeyes get tested again until maybe at Michigan State in mid-November. Last week: 1. Chris Knight, AP

2. Penn State (4-1, 1-1) – The Nittany Lions seemed to have everything in control in the fourth quarter at home against Ohio State, only to watch the Buckeyes rally for a win as their own rally stalled with a bizarre fourth-down run call. A much-needed break comes up this week before the Nittany Lions attempt to bounce back in two weeks against Michigan State. Last week: 2. Chris Knight, AP

3. Wisconsin (3-1, 1-0) – The Badgers had the week off following last week’s critical win over Iowa that put them in control in the Big Ten West. A bit of a tune-up is next with Nebraska coming to town before another big one as the Badgers hit the road to take on Michigan in a couple of weeks. Last week: 3. Matthew Putney, AP

4. Michigan (4-1, 2-0) – It was looking bleak for the Wolverines as they fell behind by 17 at Northwestern only to score 20 unanswered to pick up the win. The tough stretch is just getting started, though, as a tough Maryland team comes to town next followed by Wisconsin, Michigan State and Penn State in consecutive weeks. Last week: 4. Jim Young, AP

5. Iowa (3-1, 0-1) – Another team with a week off, the Hawkeyes will need to bounce back from last week’s loss to Wisconsin. It puts them in a tough spot in the Big Ten West as they’ll need to remain perfect and hope the Badgers slip up. The challenge for the Hawkeyes is that four of the next five games are on the road. Last week: 5. Matthew Putney, AP

6. Michigan State (3-1, 1-0) – The Spartans went out of conference to get another win over Central Michigan. However, the offensive struggles continue as they are still not running the ball great and had another turnover in the end zone. Northwestern comes to town next before a trip to Penn State that could say a lot about MSU’s fate in the Big Ten East. Last week: 6. Al Goldis, AP

7. Maryland (3-1, 1-0) – The mildly surprising Terrapins had the week off following a blowout win last week over Minnesota. The first real test in the Big Ten East comes with next week’s trip to Michigan. A win would be huge for a team not many expected to be a factor in the division. Last week: 7. Patrick Semansky, AP

8. Indiana (4-1, 1-1) – The Hoosiers didn’t blow out Rutgers, but getting a division win on the road is big for a team that seems on the verge of moving the program toward relevance in the East. It gets real with a trip to Ohio State next, a game no one will give the Hoosiers a chance to win. Last week: 8. Julio Cortez, AP

9. Purdue (2-3, 1-1) – The Boilermakers are probably better than their record indicates and it’s hard to gauge what a win at Nebraska means considering how the Cornhuskers are struggling. But getting things turned around after losing the opening three games is vital, and the Boilermakers are on the right path headed into their bye week. Last week: 11. Nati Harnik, AP

10. Minnesota (3-1, 0-1) – The Golden Gophers were off this week after losing the Big Ten opener at Maryland as well as losing standout cornerback Antoine Winfield Jr. for the season to a foot injury. They’ll have a chance to mix things up in the Big Ten West this week by hosting Iowa before hitting the road to take on Ohio State. Last week: 9. Patrick Semansky, AP

11. Northwestern (1-3, 1-1) – Things couldn’t have started much better for the Wildcats at home against Michigan, scoring the first 17 points of the game. However, the offensive problems returned as the Wildcats didn’t score again and allowed the Wolverines to rally. It will be a tall task to bounce back this week with a trip to Michigan State coming up. Last week: 10. Jonathan Daniel, Getty Images

12. Illinois (2-2, 0-1) – The Fighting Illini had the week off and will have a decent shot at ending their two-game skid this week by heading to Rutgers. However, nothing is a given for the Illini, who have won just two Big Ten games since Lovie Smith took over as coach in 2016. Last week: 12. Holly Hart, AP

13. Nebraska (0-4, 0-2) – The miserable start for coach Scott Frost’s tenure at his alma mater continued with a loss at home to Purdue. It’s far from what the Cornhusker faithful expected when the former quarterback was hired, and it will get even tougher this week with a trip to Wisconsin. Last week: 13. Nati Harnik, AP

14. Rutgers (1-4, 0-2) – After opening the season with a victory, the Scarlet Knights have lost four straight following a loss at home to Indiana. Getting Illinois at home this week might be their best chance for another victory this season as they likely won’t be favored again the rest of the way. Last week: 14. Julio Cortez, AP

Sluggish road starts

Michigan has played two road games this season and has gone the dig-a-deep-hole-and-see-about-getting-out approach.

It happened in the season-opening loss at Notre Dame after giving up two quick touchdowns, and it happened again last Saturday at Northwestern, which built a 17-0 lead by early in the second quarter. In both games Michigan’s defense gathered itself and put the Wolverines in improved situations.

Michigan was able to pull out a 20-17 win at Northwestern after Shea Patterson directed a 67-yard, 11-play drive culminating with a five-yard touchdown run by Karan Higdon, his second of the game, with 4:06 left.

Everyone knows it’s tough to play on the road, but that’s not enough to explain why the Wolverines haven’t looked like a team that wants to be in control from kickoff. Yes, Northwestern was coming off a bye and had time to develop a strong game plan, but the Wildcats had also lost its key offensive weapon, Jeremy Larkin, who announced his retirement from the game earlier in the week. This kind of start is not going to fly at Michigan State or Ohio State, not by a long shot. Michigan’s defense stepped up at Notre Dame after giving up those two quick scores and the Wolverines had a shot to win at the end, but road games don’t often turn like that.

Last season in the opener against Florida in Cowboys Stadium, Michigan trailed 17-13 before the defense shut out the Gators in the second half. At Purdue, Michigan trailed 10-7 before the defense pitched another second-half shutout. But at Penn State last year, the Nittany Lions jumped to a 14-0 start, led 21-13 at halftime and shut out Michigan in the second half. Home teams always have the edge, obviously, but great teams find ways to control games on the road. Michigan will have to figure out a way to start fast at Michigan State and Ohio State because those teams will not be forgiving.

Posted!

A link has been posted to your Facebook feed.

Michigan linebacker Josh Uche sacks Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson to seal the win for the Wolverines on the last play of the game. Michigan defeated Northwestern, 20-17, at Ryan Field, in Evanston, Ill.,on September 29, 2018.
David Guralnick, Detroit News

Northwestern wide receiver Bennett Skowronek can't hold onto a pass while under pressure from Michigan defensive back Lavert Hill, left, and defensive back David Long in the fourth quarter. David Guralnick, Detroit News

Michigan linebacker Josh Uche celebrates after helping to sack Northwestern quarterback Clayton Thorson in the fourth quarter. Uche would later sack Thorson again to end the game. David Guralnick, Detroit News

Patterson savors the moment

What you want in a quarterback is what Shea Patterson is — a guy who wants the ball in his hands with the game on the line. He hasn’t been able to quite shake the disappointment of fumbling on the big stage at Notre Dame with a chance to win the game.

That’s another reason why he wanted the chance to lead Michigan to a comeback at Northwestern, orchestrating a last touchdown drive in which he made a key nine-yard run on third-and-six and two plays later completed a 22-yard pass to Zach Gentry before Higdon scored from five yards for the go-ahead touchdown. He said something interesting after the Northwestern game that it’s about trusting his teammates and realizing it doesn’t have to all be done in one play. With that approach, the pressure is off and the offense can flow.

Patterson called the late-game drive “exhilarating” and “you play for these moments.” Patterson was 15-of-24 for 196 yards and also ran seven times for 31 yards. He feels he’s at his best in these pressure situations. “I love when the moment’s big. Even when I fail, I love that situation because you have to fail to succeed. I just love the process. I wouldn’t want to fail or succeed with anybody else but my teammates right there in the locker room.”

Red zone needs improving

With Michigan trailing 17-7 entering the third quarter, Quinn Nordin made field goals of 23 and 24 yards on back-to-back series. Making the field goals, of course, is a positive, but the Wolverines had first down at the Northwestern 10-yard line the first possession and then had first down at the Northwestern 12-yard line the second and were unable to convert for touchdowns. The first of the two drives, Tru Wilson ran six yards to the 4-yard line and then Higdon lost a yard and Patterson overthrew Grant Perry in the end zone. The second drive, Higdon lost three yards pushing Michigan to the 15-yard line. Patterson and Donovan Peoples-Jones connected for a nine-yard gain to the 6-yard line, and then threw incomplete on third-and-four. Entering the game, Michigan had scored 14 of 17 trip to the red zone, including 12 touchdowns.

Giving Chase

Fifth-year senior defensive end Chase Winovich had one of his best games against Northwestern with nine tackles, including three tackles for loss and a sack. He was non-stop aggressive against the Wildcats and is second on the team in tackles with 32. He leads the Wolverines in tackles for loss with 10.5 and in sacks with three. Winovich is third nationally in tackles for loss. For a guy who weighed the pros and cons of staying at Michigan or heading to the NFL, Winovich is making the most of his final year of eligibility and there’s no doubt NFL scouts are watching.

Here you go, Karan

Running back Karan Higdon carried the ball 30 times against the Wildcats for 115 yards and two touchdowns. Only one other back, Tru Wilson, had a carry. And that’s it — just one carry. Higdon, who got the bulk of work with Chris Evans missing his second straight game with an injury, had 46 carries through three games entering the Northwestern game. Higdon ranks 36th nationally and is sixth in the Big Ten in all-purpose yards, averaging 123.75. Higdon, who was six yards shy of 1,000 last season, set a career high in carries. The last time he ran the ball that much was against Indiana last season, when he had 25 for 200 yards. “There was times something wasn’t there and he ran his tail off,” quarterback Shea Patterson said of Higdon. “Just proud he’s in the backfield with me.”